B.C. LifeLabs workers launch strike over wages and working conditions

More than a thousand unionized LifeLabs workers across B.C. walked off the job Sunday, launching a strike over wages, staffing shortages and working conditions.

The job action comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations between LifeLabs and the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), which represents the approximately 1,200 employees.

The workers, who provide essential lab testing services to help diagnose illnesses, say they have been without a contract since April 1, 2024.

They are demanding wage parity with hospital laboratory employees performing similar work, arguing that the current pay gap — ranging between four and 16 per cent — has led to retention and recruitment challenges.

WATCH | B.C. LifeLabs workers walk off the job:

LifeLabs, the lab testing service provider, annually serves over 7.1 million patients in B.C. at its about 130 collection centres located in urban and rural communities.

In a statement, the company acknowledged the labour dispute and said it is taking steps to minimize disruptions.

“As a designated essential service, LifeLabs will continue to operate,” the company said.

However, it confirmed that some patient service centres will be closed on a rotating basis.

LifeLabs is advising patients to check its website for updates on closures and available services.

Mandy DeFields, a medical laboratory technologist with LifeLabs, was among more than 100 striking workers rallying outside a LifeLabs location in Burnaby on Sunday afternoon.

She said the wage disparity is particularly stark in her position, where her pay is about 12.5 per cent lower than her counterparts in hospital settings.

“We see skilled professionals leaving for better paying jobs all the time,” DeFields told CBC News.

“We need to close that wage gap in order to maintain the staffing we have.”

Workers held signs during the rally outside the LifeLabs Burnaby Reference Lab. (CBC)

“We’ve been bargaining for 11 months. We haven’t seen movement at the table,” said BCGEU president Paul Finch, who was also at the rally.

The union issued a 72-hour strike notice on Thursday, following a strike vote last November where 98 per cent of participating members supported job action.

The union is also calling for improved health and safety protections and more predictable scheduling.

“Our members want proper scheduling and full scheduling so that they don’t work short shifts,” Finch said.

He said union members from as far as Nanaimo and Kamloops travelled to be part of the Burnaby rally, braving the cold and rain to make their voices heard.

“This is a struggle between a group of workers here in B.C. … and an American for-profit Fortune 500 company,” said the union president.

LifeLabs and the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) are negotiating a new agreement. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)

LifeLabs was acquired by the U.S.-based Quest Diagnostics in August last year in a $1.35-billion deal. The sale has raised concerns among workers and union representatives, who worry about potential cost-cutting measures that could impact both employees and patients.

“They basically want to see their profit margins increase, and we are not going to allow their profit margins to increase on the backs of the patients and our members who work at LifeLabs,” Finch said.

The strike has drawn support from other health-care unions, including the Health Sciences Association of B.C. The association’s president Kane Tse said wages in the sector haven’t kept up with increasing demand and rising costs.

“Our members are doing more and more overtime and, and extra double shifts, and so they’re really starting to burn out,” Tse said.